This year's Design Challenge focused on designing Hollywood's next hottest movie car. The entries
ranged from vehicles acting as faithful companions to their human
counterparts to strong protectors of freedom and justice.

In a city famous for its friendly people and beautiful weather, the
Smart 341 Parkour helps reporter Annie Angle
on the mission to write her first, potentially career-making, front page
news article in a city notoriously known for a lack of parking spaces. On
an early Sunday morning, an article in a newspaper catches Annie's eyes:
"Smart Granny Robots Missing!" Using her Smart 341 Parkour and its three
different modes â€“a typical drive mode, a fly mode that allows
the vehicle to hover far above the streets and a climb mode that allows the
vehicle to run up the walls of skyscrapers â€“Annie sets off on
an investigation to discover the missing link for her journalistic
masterpiece. The Smart 341 Parkour design tells the story of a more
optimistic view of the future.

"This year's theme presented these designers with creative challenges
like never before," said Chuck Pelly from
Design LA. "Not only were studios tasked with designing a futuristic Hollywood vehicle, but also the complex plots
within which they starred. The Smart 341 Parkour captured the essence of
the Design Challenge by combining innovation and functionality with an
adventurous plot."

Entries were judged by multi-discipline design professionals who
selected the winner based upon how the vehicle reflects its brand
attributes relative to the plot, how the vehicle relates to the brand or
targeted audience, the level of imagination, the character development of
the vehicle and the uniqueness of the combination of car, story and
character.

The Design Challenge is a highly anticipated competition where
automotive design studios from around the world battle against each other
to flex their creativity. Designers enjoy participating in the challenge
because it is a strong venue to showcase their talents and further explore
new ideas in automotive design.

The Design Challenge is part of the Design Los Angeles automobile
designers' conference that is held annually during the L.A. Auto Show Press
Days, November 16-17, 2011. Each year, for
the past eight years, a new Design Challenge theme is chosen and the major
automotive design studios showcase their talents, competing against each
other to flex their creativity and further explore new ideas in automotive
design. The Design Los Angeles conference also gives designers access to
design industry leaders and provides the opportunity to address common
industry issues.

The Design Challenge has received rave reviews from journalists and
extensive media exposure throughout Asia,
Europe and the Americas.